On the first day of the first month of March, Jianwen Tianzi held a court examination in the Fengtian Palace. The countermeasures begin in the morning and continue until the evening unitary hour. The ministers all stood in the palace, and the new tributes knelt neatly in the middle, not allowed to get up, not to move, not to eat and drink, and not to go out to the toilet, but it was really difficult. But after all, this is a court test, and I finally passed the test and survived the test, so I was able to get on this hall and the countermeasures of the Son of Heaven. For many years, the incineration paste has been followed by the sundial, and it is all in front of me. The pain of patience has become sweet for them because of anticipation, but it is even more nervous and uneasy.

At noon, Zhu Yunwen also felt thirsty, took the tea offered by Shan Shou, took a sip, and glanced out of the hall.

"Why is it cloudy?" He asked, "Isn't it sunny and cloudless in the morning?" ”

During the court examination, usually the ministers are not allowed to speak without a will. Therefore, this question can only be answered by the tribute who is taking measures below. Although the Son of Heaven just casually sighed, at this time, it is more able to examine the candidate's ability to adapt to changes.

One candidate replied: "As the saying goes, 'the sky is unpredictable', the weather changes rapidly, the dark clouds come and go quickly, and the sky will soon be sunny again." It's like King Yan's army, menacing, covering the sky and the sun, but after all, it is not the trend of the times, after all, it will still be like this dark cloud, no match for the brilliance of the sun, and the smoke will disappear, and the world will soon be bright and cloudless. ”

Zhu Yunwen nodded, put down the teacup, and just wanted to say something else, another candidate in front of the hall suddenly spoke:

"Back to Your Majesty, I'm afraid that after a while, the sky will not see the light of day again, but will fall into darkness, which is like night."

Zhu Yunwen was slightly stunned; The courtiers were nervous and didn't dare to speak out.

The Son of Heaven asked, "What do you mean by that?" ”

Nagongshi, who was in his early thirties, with a dignified and beautiful countenance and a gentle demeanor, replied unhurriedly: "Today has been a clear sky from the beginning, and even now, the sky is still clear, and there is not a single cloud in sight." However, the sky darkened, not because of the change of wind and clouds, but because of the solar eclipse. ”

"Solar eclipse?" Zhu Yunwen was taken aback.

Someone among the ministers said: "The world is peaceful, and the world is bright, where is the solar eclipse?" Little scholars, don't talk about it. ”

The candidate looked at the Son of Heaven calmly, and said clearly: "If Your Majesty does not believe it, please go outside the palace to witness it with your own eyes." ”

Zhu Yunwen was a little annoyed and asked, "Qin Tianjian, what's going on?" ”

The official of the Qin Heavenly Prison could only reply: "Your Majesty, there is indeed a partial solar eclipse from noon to Shen today. ”

"Why didn't you report it earlier?" Tianzi Longyan was displeased, and he didn't look at him: "Stand down." ”

The official of the Qin Heavenly Prison obediently shrank back.

It's getting darker outside. Zhu Yunwen was unhappy in his heart, looked at the candidate, and asked: "Since you already knew that there was a solar eclipse, then you can tell me, I learned from the Ming scriptures, sought talents for the country, and hundreds of officials were diligent and did not slack off, and there was no fraud, but on the day of the court examination, there was a solar eclipse, what is it for?" Is there something wrong with me that Heaven is warning me about it? ”

The candidate replied fluently: "Back to Your Majesty, a solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon, and there is no need to think that it must be a warning from heaven. Xiao Sheng thinks that the truth of this solar eclipse itself is quite similar to the situation in the world today, and it is worth talking about for His Majesty and all the adults. ”

Zhu Yunwen was a little interested: "You talk carefully." ”

The examinee said: "A solar eclipse is not like a wind and rain, and dark clouds cover the sun; 'The weather is unpredictable', and it is impossible to know the rapid changes in the weather in advance. Eclipses, however, are different; Xiao Sheng knew it in advance, Qin Tianjian also knew it, everyone who studied the celestial phenomena knew it, and I think all the adults present should also know it. His Majesty, however, did not know; It's not because Your Majesty doesn't study the celestial phenomena, it's not Your Majesty's responsibility. It is because Qin Tianjian did not inform His Majesty of the news of the solar eclipse in advance, and none of the ministers reported it. His Majesty tried his best to fulfill the responsibility of the Son of Heaven, but Qin Tianjian did not fulfill his duty and did not report the eclipse. However, celestial phenomena are celestial phenomena after all, and what is going to happen will definitely happen. So now, it's dark outside; There is something in the sky that obscures the sun, and it cannot be stopped. Even if you try your best to cover it up and use dark clouds to prevaricate Your Majesty's inquiry, you can't change the facts. ”

Zhu Yunwen was already covered with clouds, as if the eclipse was on his face. The Son of Heaven opened his mouth gloomily:

"Qin Tianjian, listen, do you still have the face to stand here?"

The candidate continued: "Of course, this is only a minor mistake. Qin Tianjian thought that the solar eclipse was a bad omen, and today was the day of the court test, and he was afraid that telling His Majesty would affect His Majesty's mood, so concealing it was also a good intention to do something wrong, which was understandable. ”

Zhu Yunwen said: "Qintian has listened well, all Qintian officials will be fined for one month, and you, the prisoner, will be fined for two months, and submit a review." ”

The examinee said, "Fang Cai Xiaosheng gave an example. For example, today's situation is like a solar eclipse, because King Yan's rebellion was completely predictable in advance. Later, the Yan army grew stronger and stronger, so that the sky and the sun were obscured, and the two generals were unfavorable, especially the defeat of Cao Guogong Beiping, with a loss of 100,000 soldiers, which was appalling. However, the war report presented to His Majesty was only an understatement, with the excuse that the dark clouds covered the sun and could be dispersed in an instant, trying to get through the test in a foolish way and evade responsibility. However, the fact is that the sun has been eclipsed in the sky now, and it is not as fleeting as a dark cloud, and the sky will only get darker and darker until the sun is almost completely engulfed by foreign matter, and it will take a long time to slowly regain the full day. ”

Jianwen Tianzi's face was still a little sunny just now, but as the candidate's words poured out, it sank again, just like the sky outside, which was even darker and colder than just now. The hall was silent and tense, and the ministers and the other candidates kneeling in the hall were silent, and the needles could be heard.

The Son of Heaven said: "Then according to your meaning, the occurrence of this solar eclipse is helpless, and the end is beyond the reach of man?" ”

The examinee did not pay any attention to the change in the atmosphere, and replied calmly: "This is true for solar eclipses; And this is where the situation in the world differs from the eclipse. The occurrence of the solar eclipse does not depend on manpower, but the rise of the king of Yan is largely man-made. It is not only the Yan Wang, but also the court. The lack of control and frequent missed opportunities led to the change in July last year. Similarly, the end of the solar eclipse will go with the flow, but the rebellion of the Yan King must not go with the flow, and if it goes with the flow, the Yan army will be out of control, and there will be no quiet time in the world. Troubles caused by personnel must also end with personnel. The imperial court should reflect on the previous mistakes, correct the current mistakes, and make amends, before it is too late; Similar to lying about dark clouds to cover the reality of the solar eclipse, in a vain attempt to evade criminal responsibility, the situation of turning a big thing into a small thing and a small thing into a small thing can no longer occur. In his humble opinion, His Majesty should recall the general to Beijing, dismiss him from his post, investigate and punish him severely. The crime is not only to defeat the army, but also to deceive the saint and lie about the military situation. ”

Zhu Yunwen couldn't sit still anymore when he heard this, slapped his palm on the imperial case, stood up suddenly, glared at the open-mouthed scholar, and said excitedly:

"You...... You...... You're too ignorant, aren't you? ”

Xu Huizu and Fang Xiaoru saw that the situation was not good, and at the same time they pleaded and pleaded:

"Your Majesty, he is just a scholar who has just passed the examination, he is dedicated to studying books, he has never seen much of the world, and he can't understand the hardships of current politics and His Majesty's hard work. In any case, he is outspoken, and he is also a brave and loyal person for the sake of His Majesty, and he can use things to satirize the government, and his courage and intelligence are extraordinary, but he is young and vigorous, and he has no practical experience, and it is completely normal to make a small mistake. Your Majesty has this pillar of material, and it is also a great blessing for the country's society. ”

Fortunately, it was Zhu Yunwen; In other words, it was Zhu Yuanzhang, not to mention this bold candidate, even Xu and Fang would be imprisoned and killed together.

Zhu Yunwen heard that Master Taifu and Mr. Fang both said this, not to mention that the scholar was indeed telling the truth, and he was not an emperor who could not listen to criticism, so he immediately lost his anger, walked up to the candidate, and said apologetically:

"Actually, you're not wrong; I was thrilled for a while, and I apologized to you. ”

Even when the Son of Heaven was angry, the candidate had always been calm, and at this moment, seeing that the Son of Heaven was sincerely apologizing to himself, he became frightened, lay on the ground, and said:

"If a child commits a crime of ignorance, he deserves death."

Zhu Yunwen said: "Loyalty is contrary to the ear, what a crime." It is my blessing that this department can obtain such a talented and loyal minister. ”

The candidate said, "Your Majesty is serious. Xiaosheng's virtue is thin and sparse, and he doesn't know how thick the sky is, but what Xiaosheng said comes from the heart, and he asks His Majesty to consider it. ”

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "The book business is angry; You don't know how easy it is for me to remove the general. It's not as simple as you think. Still, I would like to thank you for your advice. ”

The examinee said: "An dare to thank the son of heaven." Xiaosheng thanked His Majesty for not killing. ”

Zhu Yunwen asked, "What is your name and where are you from?" ”

The candidate knocked: "Xiaosheng's surname is Yang Mingrong, the word is Mianren, and he is from Jian'an." ”

The court examination continued; When it gets dark, it is like night falling, and then it gradually turns brighter again; After the solar eclipse had completely subsided, it was already afternoon time. The bright daylight lasted for an hour, and then turned into a sunset. Dusk is coming; At the time of the unitary, Zhu Yunwen ended the court examination and announced the final ranking on the spot, giving each the top three and the first, the Jinshi background, the Jinshi difference, and the Shujishi.

When Fang Xiaoru said this, Shen Ruoyu couldn't help but ask:

"This Yang Rong must be the first place in countermeasures, the champion?"

Unexpectedly, Fang Xiaoru smiled and shook his head.

"He is ranked fourth, only the first place in the second class, not the first class."

"The top two first? Who are those armors? ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "There are two first places in the countermeasures, both of whom are from Jishui and fellow villagers of Xie Jin. ”

"Two firsts?"

"Is it strange?" Fang Xiaoru laughed and said, "One is named Wang Gen; The other is called Hu Guang. Wang Gen lined up in front of Hu Guang, and His Majesty was very happy to hear his answer, and the scene was the first; However, when it was Hu Guang's turn to take countermeasures, he replied more wonderfully, especially the sentence 'pro-vassal Lu Liang, people's hearts are shaking', His Majesty was shocked and moved. In addition, this Hu Guang is a talent, but Wang Gen seems to be a little sluggish and misbehaved. Therefore, he changed Hu Guang to the champion, and gave him a name called Hu Jing. Wang Gen is the eye of the example, and Tanhua's name is Li Guan. The first three people were also awarded Hanlin to revise it. Yang Rong fourth, awarded Hanlin editing. The fifth is named Yang Pu, and he was edited with Yang Rong. The sixth Jin Youzi, awarded the household department to the matter. The seventh Hu Hui, the military department is in the middle of the matter. Eighth Gu Zuo......"

Fang Xiaoru counted them one by one, and sighed with admiration:

"I've read all their exam papers, and they're all smooth and sharp, brilliant in writing, ancient and modern, Xiaochang Baijia, acupuncture and disadvantages, extraordinary insights, it's really hard to distinguish between the superior and the inferior. It's a pity that I'm not the examiner, so I have to envy Gao Shaoqing and Dong Shilang to death. This Gengchen is really full of talents. Wenxing will prosper the country, and they will all become the pillars of governance that are difficult to find. ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled and said, "Look at you, Mr. Fang, why are you talking so eloquently?" Knowing that I was suspended at home and didn't have the opportunity to experience this court test in person, didn't I become greedy? ”

"What is this called? Didn't I want you to feel like it was there? ”

Hu Sheng came in at this time: "Master, Lord Wei Guogong is here." ”

Shen Ruoxiao was stunned for a moment: "Grandpa is also here?" Come in, please; Beans, refill this teapot with some water. In addition, you go to the street to buy a saltwater duck, get two catties of good wine, and I invite the two adults to eat at home. ”

"Don't be busy, don't be busy, don't worry;" Xu Huizu stepped into the door and stopped: "I came here because I was in a hurry, and I had to leave if I couldn't say two words." ”

"What's wrong?" Shen Ruoyu and Fang Xiaoru saw that his face was solemn, and the smiles just now disappeared.

Xu Huizu looked at the two of them and said in a low voice: "Li Jinglong has fought another big defeat. ”

"Datong lost?" Fang Xiaoru shouted.

Xu Huizu shook his head and sat down at the table.

"Datong is not lost; Taiyuan didn't lose it. The army rushed thousands of miles to the city of Datong, but did not even see the shadow of the enemy, and it was said along the way that King Yan attacked Taiyuan. The army rushed to Taiyuan again, but learned that the Yan army had returned to Beiping. We were all fooled, and King Yan was simply playing tricks on us. Now it is only early spring, and the northern land is cold, especially the Shanxi Plateau, surrounded by mountains. Most of our fighters were southerners, and they couldn't stand the cold, so they ran back and forth, freezing to death countless fighters along the way, and many fighters suffered frostbite and lost their fingers and toes. Why didn't I think of it earlier, King Yan had calculated at all, that is, to lead the army to Shanxi to sneak around, so that we could not prepare for rest with peace of mind, and lose troops in vain, and our morale plummeted all of a sudden. ”

There was silence in the room for a moment, and Fang Xiaoru opened his mouth and sighed:

"King Yan is insidious and cunning, and he is scheming, and Grandpa doesn't have to blame himself. This is something that no one expected. ”

Xu Huizu shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Fang, it's actually not difficult to think of this. Why did he stay in Ulju for a month without any movement? He kept threatening to fight here and there, but he didn't move his nest. I even expected him to attack Datong, but he was stunned for a month. That's enough to tell. Li Jinglong is a stupid person, and my Xu Huizu is even more stupid than him-"

He slammed his fist on the table, knocking over the teapot, and the tea spilled all over the table and ran to the floor.

"So—what now?" Shen Ruoyu asked.

Xu Huizu said: "Li Jinglong has returned to Texas to rest. I am now going to meet the emperor and ask the Son of Heaven for his guilt. ”

After he finished speaking, he got up and left, leaving behind Fang Xiaoru and Shen Ruoxiao's consolations.